Protestantism in South Africa

Archbishop Desmond Tutu (pictured) is an influential Protestant (Anglican) South African

The history of Protestantism in South Africa dates back to the initial European settlement on the Cape of Good Hope in 1652. Since then, Protestantism has been the predominant religion of the European settlers and today, of South Africa as a whole.

Protestant churches in South Africa

Christian denominations in South Africa

South African Interchurch South African Council of Churches Catholic & Anglican Anglican Church Reformed Evangelical Anglican Church Roman Catholicism Holiness & AIC Die Heilsleër Zion Christian Church Pentecostal Apostolic Faith Mission[Assemblies of God] Protestantism, Other Baptist Union Evangelical Lutheran Church Methodist Church Reformed Dutch Reformed: NGK Dutch Reformed: NHK Evangelical Presbyterian Church Presbyterian Church of Africa Reformed Church in Africa Reformed Churches: GKSA United Congregational Church Uniting Presbyterian Church Uniting Reformed Church

According to the CIA Factbook, while the majority of South Africans are Protestant, no individual church predominates. The largest Protestant denomination in the country is Pentecostalism, followed by Methodism, Dutch Reformed and Anglicans.

Protestant denominations in South Africa include:

• Afrikaanse Protestantse Kerk (Reformed/Calvinist)
• Anglican Church of Southern Africa
• Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa (Pentacostalist)
• Baptist Union of Southern Africa
• Church of England in South Africa (outside the Anglican Communion, theological Reformed member of the World Reformed Fellowship)
• Christian Reformed Church in South Africa
• Free Church in Southern Africa (Presbyterian/Calvinist)
• Die heilsleer (Salvation Army)
• Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa
• Methodist Church of Southern Africa
• Nazareth Baptist Church
• Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk (Reformed/Calvinist)
• Presbyterian Church of Africa
• United Congregational Church of Southern Africa
• Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa
• Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa
• Zionist Churches (Pentacostalist)

See also

• Afrikaner Calvinism
• Apostolic Church of South Africa - Apostle Unity
• Huguenots in South Africa
• Roman Catholicism in South Africa
• Islam in South Africa

Sources

• CIA Factbook on South Africa

Further reading

• Stephen Offutt, New Centers of Global Evangelicalism in Latin America and Africa (Cambridge University Press, 2015) focuses on El Salvador and South Africa. online review